The Lost Son
by mrstack
Summary: An Avalon gargoyle comes to Manhattan in search of his heritage, but why is Goliath acting so strangely?


All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company.  
No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder.  
All original characters are the property of M.R. Stack  
  
The Lost Son  
  
By Michelle Stack (mrstack@bcpl.net)  
  
From his small wooden boast he could make out the faint foggy lights of a great city. He sighed deeply and hoped that this indeed was the city that he had been searching for. Avalon, in its frustrating mystical power, had sent him to several different cities, supposedly because he was needed there, instead of sending him where he wanted to be, which was Manhattan.   
At last he was able to row his skiff to a dock, and there he got out and tied it. Fortunately, there were no humans about. Guardian Tom warned him about letting them see him, as humans of this time knew little about his kind and would indeed, fear him. Now looking around, he knew he would have to determine where he was on his own. The best way, he had learned, was to stay in the shadows and listen to the accents of the people walking on the streets. Climbing the wall of a building he jumped from the top and, extending his long wings glided over the new city. Looking down, he noticed that this city was huge and crowded, full of enormous buildings and shiny lights.   
Staying in the dark spots he landed in a space between the buildings, an "alley" as he learned it was called. Standing close enough to the public walk to hear with clarity but far enough to be hidden, he listened to the voices of the humans passing by. Judging by the pronounciations of their words, he determined that the residents were American. Most of them sounded very much like Elisa Maza, the human woman who came to Avalon along with Goliath, their leader before the massacre of their clan in Scotland.  
Goliath. The thought of the lavender giant made him close his eyes and lean against the cold brick wall of the building he was closest to. He ran his talons through his sabel hair. When the leader had been on Avalon, he was in awe of him, just as much as any of the other hatchlings, but for some reason he felt drawn to him. He remembered Angela, his rookery sister, piping up and asking to go with him and Elisa back to Manhattan. He had wanted to ask as well, but he felt as if he didn't belong with them.   
After Angela left, the other gargoyles began to wonder about their own origins, asking Princess Katherine and Guardian Tom if they knew who exactly their fathers and mothers were. Their foster parents were hestant at first, since they knew that it was not the gargoyle way for each child to have a mother and father, but rather for the whole clan to raise them as their children. However, when the gargoyles persisted, the two humans tried to tell them where they got their physical characteristics. Ophelia learned that she got her light green skin and prominent brow from her father, while she inheirited her brown hair and graceful wings from her mother. Katherine explained that Gabriel had gotten his blonde hair from his father and his azure skin from his mother.   
However, when Dante stepped up and inquired about his parents, where he had inheirited his olive skin, long curving horns and black hair, Katherine and Tom seemed uncomfortable. They finally told him that they were uncertain about his lineage, since Wyvern had been inhabited by dozens of gargoyles and it was so long ago. Dante felt cheated. The princess and Tom had been able to remember everyone else's parentage, why not his? He finally decided that if he was ever going to get some answers, he would have to find them on his own.   
So one night, while everyone else was practicing their fighting skills, Dante sneaked off and went to the shore. Carefully he untied the rope that kept their skiff anchored, and put a few things he had packed into the boat. He was about to jump in when he felt a tug on his tail. He turned around, and found it was his rookery sister, Elizabeth.   
"What are you doing, Dante?", she asked him.   
"I have to go away Elizabeth. The princess and Tom refuse to give me answers about where I come from, so I'm going to find them myself," Dante explained.  
"But, Dante", Elizabeth started, placing her hand on his shoulder. "This is your home, this is your family! You know what Tom said about the world-it's dangerous and merciless. And besides, I-we-need you here". Elizabeth blushed and looked down after saying this. There had always been feelings between the two, although they both never admitted them. Dante smiled at her. She was very beautiful-long auburn hair, light yellow skin, green eyes that sparkled like diamonds. Dante then frowned when he remembered that Katherine had told Elizabeth she got her auburn hair and emerald eyes from her mother, and her yellow skin from her father.   
"Elizabeth...", Dante said, taking her hands in his. "Please try to understand. I have to do this. I won't be happy until I do".  
"Where will you go?", she asked, her eyes beginning to tear.  
"I'm going to the island called Manhattan. That is where Goliath lives, and I am sure he will be able to tell me the truth".  
"Will you come back?", Elizabeth asked.  
With that, Dante pressed her to him and kissed her. "I will return someday, I promise you that".   
He pushed the skiff into the water and got in. He began to row away from shore at a steady pace, towards the silvery moon glistening on the water. Elizabeth stood on the beach and watched the small boat sail away until she could see it no more.  
  
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Now Dante was alone. He knew that he was in America, but was unsure if this was the city the leader lived in. He listened a little while longer, hoping to catch a mention from one of the people where he was, and nothing. He tensed when he heard a voice say behind him, "Well, what do we have here?"  
Dante turned around to find three human men standing in a corner. They must have come from one of the buildings. He knew that they could make out his outline, but they didn't know he was a gargoyle. To human eyes, the alley was too dark, but for Dante and his superior vision, he knew they were ignorant.  
"Disband and I promise, no harm will come to any of you", he said in a low voice.  
The three men chuckled. "You think we're scared of you, ya little bastard? Why don't you come out and show yourself?," the same man, probably the leader, said  
"Very well", Dante said, and revealed himself, wings outstretched and eyes glowing. The men appeared scared, but seemed to know what he was.  
"Hey, it's one of them gargoyle freaks! Get 'im!", the leader said. The two other men got out knives and lunged at him. Dante swung his tail and hit the backs of their knees, bringing them both to the ground. The two men got up and tried again. One man went first, pointing his knife and screaming. Dante grabbed the man by the wrist and threw him against a wall, knocking him unconscious. The second man tried throwing his knife, which Dante missed by ducking. He lunged at the man and, picking him up, tossed him into the other wall.   
"I've had enough of this shit", the leader said, and brought out a gun. He aimed at Dante and fired. Dante had seen a weapon such as this on Avalon, when one of their kind, the scarlet-haired second-in-command, was attacking them under the direction of the archmage. He tried to duck out of the way, and managed to avoid getting directly hit with the ammunition of the weapon. It did, however, graze him, so he felt a fiery burn on his left calf, but nothing that could bring him down.  
Snarling in anger, Dante jumped again to miss another bullet and leapt upon the man, knocking the gun out of his hand. The man, completely incapacitated by Dante's weight, began to plead for his life.   
"I will not kill you. Unlike you, I am capable of mercy", Dante told him. "But I do want some information. What is the name of your city, human?"  
Stammering in fear, it took him some time before Dante could finally gather that he was saying, 'Manhattan'.   
Eyes glowing, Dante bared his fangs when he smiled. "Hmm...at last"  
By now the thug had fainted in terror, and a satisfied Dante climbed the wall of one of the surrounding buildings and took off into the night.   
  
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Manhattan was beautiful, Dante had to admit. Perhaps it did not possess the wild naturistic beauty of Avalon, but was still breathtaking in its own cosmopolitan way. It was nothing like the gothic Scotland of the 10th century. The buildings were larger, taller, more illuminated. There were more people everywhere, and all types. Black, white, yellow, all communicating in harmony, at least in most cases. Dante was pleased that humans had been able to get past their own racial differences and hoped that maybe someday, they would be able to accept his own race and live with them as well.   
Dante had been flying for hours and still had not found anything. His wings were beginning to get sore, and that wound on his leg was now beginning to ache. He had to land somewhere, but he didn't know what place would be safe. He had hoped by now he would see some gargoyles, namely Goliath, but nothing so far. All the buildings looked the same to him, except for one, now directly in his sight....  
Dante gasped when he saw it. It looked the Scottish castle his parents had lived in! He didn't know exactly what it looked like, but from the descriptions the Princess, Tom and the Magus had given, this had to be it, or at least a replica of it. This was a sign, he was sure of it. That huge building with the castle sitting atop of it, that had to be where Goliath was. He suddenly got a burst of energy and flew off in its direction.  
Dante landed on the ledge of the castle when he reached it. It felt familiar, but still something told him to be on guard.   
"H-hello?", he called out nervously. There was no response, nor anyone around. He moved to the highest of the parapets and perched. Looking down on the city, he knew how his clan must have felt, guarding a huge city. Suddenly, he heard the swooping of wings, and from his perch saw two gargoyles land on the ledge beneath his. They appeared to be about his age, although he didn't regonize them. One of them was red skinned, with long horns and a beak. The other was smaller, with light green skin and webbed wings. They were laughing and joking with each other, talking about something called a "movie". Dante wanted to join them, but he didn't know how to go about introducing himself. The pain in his leg caused him to shift slightly on the parapet, and his foot kicked a piece of stone off the ledge. The stone fell to the side of the little green one, and they both looked up, seeing Dante sitting there.  
"Hey there!", the green one called. Dante hesitated, and then the red beaked one said, "Come on down, we won't hurt ya".  
With that, Dante flew down to the two gargoyles. When he landed, he inadvertently put his weight on his wounded leg, causing him to stumble. The two rushed over and helped him.   
"Hey are you ok?", the red one asked.   
"What happened to your leg?", the little one asked, looking at the red wound.  
Dante winced in pain. "I'm fine thank you, i was just grazed by some ammunition," he told them. "I'll heal by tomorrow night".  
"I'm Lexington", the little green one said, extending his hand. Dante clasped it. "I'm Dante", he told them.  
"I'm Brooklyn", the red one said, pointing to himself. "Where are you from?"  
"I am of the Avalon clan", Dante replied.   
"Oh, so you're Angela's rookery sister?", Lexington said.  
"Yes, is she here?", Dante asked eagerly.  
"She lives with us, but she's not here at the moment. She's with Broadway, our other rookery brother", Brooklyn said. Both of the gargoyles looked a little sad when this was said, and Dante smiled sympathetically. Angela's beauty and charm must have worked their magics on them, as it had on his rookery brothers on Avalon. This Broadway must have been the lucky one. Dante had never felt this way about her though. He had always shared some bond with her, but never more than a fraternal feeling.  
"And....Goliath?", Dante asked.  
"He's with Hudson, our elder, and Elisa, a friend-", Brooklyn started  
"Yes I know Elisa. She was with him on Avalon", Dante informed him.  
Just then, Angela and Broadway landed together on the balcony with the others. "Dante!", Angela cried, and leapt into the arms of her rookery brother.  
"Angela! It's been too long, sister! How have you been?", he asked, as he hugged her.   
"Wonderful! How are things on Avalon?", she asked.  
"Lonely, without you", Dante said, and Angela blushed. Just then, Broadway cleared his throat. "Um...are you going to introduce me, Angela?", Broadway inquired.  
"Oh! Of course darling. Dante, this is my mate Broadway. Broadway, this is my rookery brother Dante."  
"Honored to meet you, Broadway", Dante said, bowing slightly.  
"Uh...likewise", Broadway said, a little flustered.  
"So, what brings you here, brother?", Angela asked.  
Dante shifted uncomfortably. "Well...I actually came...to see Goliath."  
"Then it appears we arrived at the perfect time", a deep voice said from behind them. The turned around to find Elisa, Hudson, and Goliath standing there.  
"Father! Do you remember Dante?", Angela said.  
"Yes, we met on Avalon. How are you Dante?", Goliath asked the youth, extending his hand.  
"Uh...I've very well, Goliath, thank you", Dante replied shakily, taking the leader's hand.  
Hudson then proceeded to introduce himself, and Elisa asked him what brought him to Manhattan.  
Dante shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I was getting a bit...restless on Avalon. Angela had somewhat...inspired me to move beyond the boundaries of my home and to seek out new places." He chuckled. "And Avalon has certainly given me the opportunity! I've been to several places-Greece, Italy, Austrailia-did you know there are Gargoyles in Spain?"  
"Spain? Wow! We met some in England, but not in Spain!", Elisa exclaimed.  
"Yes, there are. They were very kind to me, they even taught me some of their language", Dante told them.  
"Really? Say something for us, brother", Angela said.  
"Well, alright. Era una excursion muy larga, pero yo estaba guidado por podre mistical. Y", Dante said, looking at Goliath, "Yo espero que concozca a my padre, y encuentra mi heritage."  
The gargoyles seemed impressed, Elisa had a knowing look on her face, but said nothing. The rest of the evening Dante shared his stories with the clan, about his voyages and adventures. Goliath and Elisa also shared their stories, and they discovered they both had met the Guatemalan clan.  
"Well, lad, you've found your way to us, so Avalon must have some purpose for ye", Hudson said.  
"And you are certainly welcome to join our clan", Goliath said.  
"Thank you very much, I'm honored", Dante said.  
Elisa looked over at the reddening sky and realized that the dawn was coming. "Hey guys, it's almost daylight. I've gotta get going." Goliath walked over to her and tenderly cupped her face in his hands. "Sleep well, my Elisa", he told her, planting a kiss on her brow.  
"You too Big Guy", Elisa said. "Nice to see you again, Dante. Goodnight guys", she said, and left.  
Broadway and Brooklyn sat on parapets near one another. Broadway looked over at the new gargoyle, who had chosen a spot a few feet away near Lexington. "Hey Brooklyn? Did you notice that Dante looks a little like Goliath?", he asked his rookery brother.   
"Hmm...", Brooklyn mused. It was then that he noticed that Dante, save for the skin color and horns, had the same noble features, wing design, and jet-black hair of their leader. "He does....", Brooklyn began, but was unable to finish his sentence as stone sleep claimed him.  
  
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For the next couple of weeks Dante became acquainted with the city and the clan. He felt very much at home with them. The trio showed him the best spots for food and entertainment, as well as the places to be avoided. Dante talked with Angela about their new home, about their loves. Angela told Dante how much she cared for Broadway and Dante confided that he loved Elizabeth and intended to make her his mate when he returned home. Now that he and Angela had reaffirmed their rapport, he began to talk about heritage.  
"Was it difficult for Goliath to accept you as his daughter? His true daughter I mean, not just a clan daughter?", Dante asked.  
"Well, yes it was. Mostly because he had been raised to think of all hatchlings as his own. But eventually, when he was presented with scientific proof and I persuaded him, he accepted me."  
"Do you know who your mother was?"  
Angela sadly nodded. "Demona", she told him.  
Dante's eyes widened. "The one who attacked us on Avalon?", he said.  
"Yes, but it wasn't her fault. She was under the control of a spell".  
"Oh, so has she accepted you as her daughter as well?"  
"Yes...but we do not get along".  
"Why?"  
"Because she and my father are enemies. She wants to destroy humanity, he wants to make peace with them".  
"Ah...so that must be hard, isn't it?"  
"It is. I love my mother, I really do. I just wish I could make her see that her hatred is only going to tear us apart, not bring us together."  
Dante nodded. "I wish I knew my mother and father. Princess Katherine and Tom would not tell me".  
"Why not?", Angela demanded.   
"They say they do not know, it was too long ago. That's why I came here. Perhaps Goliath may know who my parents were."  
"Yes, maybe", Angela said. "He's in the library now. Why don't we go ask him now?"  
"Yes, let's do that", Dante said.  
  
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The two young gargoyles made their way to the dimly lit library, where they found Goliath reading in a broad wooden chair by the twin glow of his luminated eyes.  
"Hello father", Angela said as they approached. "What are you reading?"  
"The Scarlet Letter", Goliath said quickly, and put the book aside. "What is it?"  
"Well, Dante needed to talk to you", Angela said. Goliath looked over at him.  
"Goliath, I came here to ask you....if you know who my parents were", Dante said.  
Goliath shifted uncomfortably, and then got off of the chair. "Why do you ask?"  
"Well...ever since you came to Avalon, all of the hatchlings have been wondering about their origins. The Princess and the Guardian were unable to tell me, so I thought perhaps you would know, since you knew all of the gargoyles of the parent generation."  
"Dante", Goliath said. "You should know, that having your own parents is not the gargoyle way. Children are raised by the entire clan, ignorant of their parentage..."  
"But you accepted Angela as your flesh and blood child! How is that fair?", Dante protested.  
"We were made aware of it by an outside source!", Goliath exclaimed defensively. "Even now, I do not show any preferential treatment to Angela before any of the other gargoyles! Dante", Goliath said, softening a little and putting his hand on the young male's shoulder. "You had many fathers and many mothers, just as you have many sisters and brothers. You must honor the memory of the parents you had. It will do no good to look for them now."  
"I-I understand, Goliath", Dante said, and sadly left the room. Angela turned around to face her father.   
"Father...somehow I have the feeling you are not telling us something."  
Goliath looked at his daughter, and then sit down in his chair once more to read his book. Angela stood there for a moment, then realized that this would do no good. She sighed and left the room.  
  
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Later that night, while Goliath had taken to watch with Brooklyn and Dante, Elisa got off of her shift and met up with the other gargoyles, who were now gathered at the castle.   
"There is something very strange about all this", Angela said. "Father refuses to help Dante discover his real parentage".  
"Yeah, he has been acting weird lately, ever since Dante came", Lex said.  
"I think I might know why guys", Elisa said. "It was something Dante said when he was speaking spanish".  
"Do ye know what he said, lass?", Hudson asked.  
"I'm not entirely sure, it's been a few hundred years since I took Spanish in high school," Elisa smirked. "But I think Dante was saying something about finding his heritage, and he said something about finding his father, and he looked right at Goliath when he said it".  
"Goliath? But why would he-", Broadway said, but was interrupted by the arrival of Goliath, Dante, and Brooklyn.  
"How was patrol, Father?", Angela asked.  
"It has been an uneventful night for the most part", Goliath said, caping his wings.   
"Yeah, but we did get to bust up a gang fight. You should have seen Dante. He was awesome!", Brooklyn said.   
"You're too kind, Brooklyn", Dante said.   
"Yes, he certainly is a fine warrior", Goliath remarked, causing a slight shade of pink to form on Dante's face. The other gargoyles looked at one another, and then at Elisa. She nodded slightly and walked over to her lover, wrapping her arms around his waist.  
"Hey Big Guy, there's only a few hours left before sunrise. Would you like to come over to my place?", Elisa asked.  
"Mmmm, how can I refuse?", Goliath said, putting his arms around her. He turned to the rest of the clan. "I should be back before sunrise".  
"And if you're not we'll know why", Brooklyn said with a smirk. That smirk quickly disappeared when Goliath shot him a look that could melt a polar ice cap. He scooped Elisa up and took off into the night.  
  
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"So what do you think of it, Goliath?", Elisa asked.  
Goliath took the last sip of the deep purple drink and set the glass down on the table. "It was...sharp. What did you call it again?"  
"Chianti. My parents bought me a bottle for my birthday last month", Elisa told him, walking over to the lavender giant and putting her arms around his neck. They were sitting in the window seat of her apartment.  
"So, now that we're alone, at last", Goliath said. "What would you like to do?"  
"Actually, I'd like to talk about something that's on my mind".  
"You can talk about anything with me, my love".  
"Well," Elisa said, shifting slightly in the window seat, "It's about Dante".  
For a moment Goliath seemed to stiffen. "What about him?", he asked.  
"Goliath, it just seems like you're hiding something. You know he wants to know who his parents are, and I think you know but are not telling."  
"Elisa, it is the gargoyle way not to know who your parents are."  
"But I think I know who is father is", she said slowly, not looking in his eyes.  
"What?", Goliath said, in a soft fierce voice.  
"Goliath, you'd have to be blind not to see it! The hair, the wings, the facial features! He's your son!", Elisa spat out.   
Goliath's features turned vicious at one point. But this was his lover, his Elisa, the one he could never hurt, or lie to. He got up and caped his wings, turning his back to the human woman. He kept his back turned as he spoke, slowly and restrained, as if he couldn't bear to say the words.  
"Yes, Elisa. Yes, Dante is my son. I don't have the biological proof that Sevarius was able to give us about Angela, but I am almost certain. Dante is my child."  
"But Goliath," Elisa said in a soft frightened voice, as one would use when they are moving toward a terrifying truth but don't want to face it, "Dante doesn't look anything like Demona."  
Goliath sighed deeply. "That is because...Demona is not his mother."  
"Then...?"  
"The gargoyle soul that is now housed by the robot Coldfire. She....was his mother."  
Elisa suddenly saw the image of Coldfire in her mind, when the gargess was flesh. The deep brown skin, the majestic horns...  
"You...cheated on Demona?"  
Goliath turned around, and sat down next to Elisa once again. "You do not know what had happened, Elisa. You do not know the circumstances we were both under."  
"Then tell me", Elisa said softly, putting her hand on his. Goliath looked into her eyes and saw that the love was not gone.   
"Very well", he said.  
  
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"It was breeding season. There was a sense of passion in the air, of love and renewal. It would be a whole month of expressing our love for the mates we had chosen. Everyone was happy. Except me, and the gargoyle who would become Coldfire. It was this unhappiness that drove us into each other's arms. We were so intoxicated by the spirit of breeding season, as well as the biological turmoil we were both in, that we didn't contemplate the idea of making a child. We simply needed to be....healed.  
We had always been...close. She was my main confidant when we were growing up. I had even thought about her becoming my mate when the time came. We didn't, however. I had been blinded by the beauty of a fiery-haired female who had fighting skills that rivaled my own. You know her as Demona. Coldfire chose Coldstone, and so we grew apart. I did not regret it. Demona was a devoted mate, and a loyal second-in-command. You know I loved her, and I knew that my rookery sister loved the mate she chose.  
However, during the period of breeding season, circumstances were not exactly amicable for us. There had been a raid on a nearby village by a warring tribe from the hills. Demona, myself, and a few other gargoyles had been dispatched to go and stop the raid. During the raid, I sent my brother Coldstone and another of our rookery brothers after a small faction of the tribe who had retreated after they saw us, because they had captured some of the villagers. They were lured into a trap, however, and the tribe surrounded my brothers. They fought very bravely, but unfortunately it resulted in a grave injury to Coldstone and the death of our other rookery brother. I arrived with the rest of the party a few minutes later, and we were able to subdue the rest of the bandits.   
We arrived home bloody and bruised, carrying one injured brother and one dead. Coldfire never left her mate's side as our clan healer looked him over. As usual, we recieved no praise or honor from the human residents of the castle, but we had grown used to it by then. Before the sun came up Demona and I had an argument.  
"You sent our brothers after those bandits, and now one is lost and one is hanging on to life by a mere thread! How could you do this?", Demona demanded.  
"They had captured some villagers, we had to rescue them", I told her. Demona rolled her eyes.  
"Yes, I understand that, but we all should have gone together! They took them to the hills, it was stupid to believe that they would not have reinforcements there!"  
"By the time we would have gotten there, they may have already killed the captives", I argued. Demona threw her hands up in frustration and walked to a corner of the ledge. I walked over to her and put my hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her.  
"My love, please", I pleaded. "I worry about the clan just as you do. But our brothers knew it was the gargoyle way to defend to the death. It is what we do, what we are."  
Demona turned and faced me. It was the first time I saw the hint of hate in her face, and it scared me. "I know it isn't the gargoyle way to say this, but I could care less about those humans that we saved. They aren't worth the lives of our brothers." With that, she brushed me aside and walked away to await the dawn. I sighed and went to visit my brother.  
I found him in the castle infirmary. It was unoccupied save for Coldstone, his mate, and the healer. He was lying on a wooden table, covered by a sheet. The human residents did not allow him to lie on one of the beds, because of his weight, they said, but most likely they were afraid that he would contaminate their linens. Coldfire was standing next to him, holding his hand, talking softly. I could see that he was slipping in and out of consciousness. Our healer was on the other side of the bed. He was a tall, thin gargoyle, with dark green skin and golden brown hair. He was the only one of us that did not use his warrior skills.   
"Ah Goliath", the healer said, coming over to me.   
"How is he?", I asked.  
The healer shook his head. "The injuries are extensive, but I am hoping stone sleep will take away most of them. There is some damage, however, that cannot be healed, that will always stay with him."  
"Like what?", I asked.  
"Well, and it pains me to say this, especially at this time of the year, but I do fear that our brother will not be able to conceive an egg with his mate".  
"What! How?", I exclaimed.  
"Please, keep your voice down. I have not told him or his mate yet", the healer told me. "There was extensive damage done to his groin and pelvic region, it was fractured actually. Now I was able to repair some of the damage and the sun should do the rest, but there are internal injuries which I simply cannot heal."  
I took a deep breath and looked over at Coldstone. "My brother is a warrior, he is a fighter. And he will survive."  
"He may survive, but he may never be able to give his mate an egg", the healer said sadly.  
I walked over to the table, where my brother lay. I rested my hand on Coldfire's shoulder. She turned around and looked at me, tears in her eyes. I held her for a brief moment, then asked how he was doing.  
"He talks, every now and then", she said softly, almost in a whisper. "Most of it is babbling I cannot understand. But I think it is comforting to him that I am here."  
Just then, Coldstone opened his eyes, and looked at his mate, then over to me. "Goliath, my brother", he said, holding out his hand. I took it and held it.   
"How are you, brother?", I asked. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, then opened them again.   
"I cannot move without pain", he said. "The village?"  
"Safe", I told him. "Dawn is coming soon. You will be healed."  
"Dawn", he mused, with a small smile on his face. "I hope someday, I can see the dawn." With that, he closed his eyes again.  
"Come," I said to Coldfire. "Let us roost."  
"Actually, I would like to spend the day here, with my mate. I want to be the first one he sees," she told me.  
"Of course, my sister," I said. "Good sleep".  
"Good sleep, Goliath", she told me, and I left.  
Coldstone awoke the next night, and just as the healer predicted, most of his injuries were gone. He still was sore, and limped slightly, but he was well enough to attend the funeral we had for our brother. We went to the woods, where we draped the body of our brother in a ceremonial cloth and prepared a pyre for cremation. Myself and three of our other brothers lifted the body onto the pyre and lit the straw and hay beneath it. The flames crackled and illuminated the night in its golden glow.  
"We gather tonight", I said, speaking over the song of the flames, "To honor our brother, a warrior, who died defending the innocent and preserving justice. His spirit, his courage will not be forgotten. For we will remember him, and preserve his memory."  
"But", I voice spoke up, and I saw that it was my mate, "He has not died in vain. We have learned that from this tragedy that we must be united, we must be as one, we cannot let anything prevent us from protecting and defending one another. And", she said, shooting a heated look at me, "although our way is protect the innocent, we must also remember who is worthy of our protection. And we should not risk our lives to protect those who will not honor us for our courage." With that, Demona sat down once again, not taking her eyes off me.  
I was furious at her outburst, but I would not use my brother's funeral as a debate. I bowed my head and began to hum, the low, sad song of the dead that we sang for eons to honor our dead. Other voices began to join, and before long we were all singing in harmony, mourning our loss but also celebrating life.   
Later that night, when we had returned to the castle, I sought my mate and cornered her. "What was the meaning of that?", I demanded.  
"Someone had to speak the truth, Goliath!", she said angrily. "Our brother died because we failed to protect him!"  
"He was outnumbered, but he died for the cause! That's what matters!", I retorted. Demona scoffed.  
"Protecting a bunch of ungrateful humans!", she spat. "His life was worth more than that!"  
"It's like talking to stone", I finally said, and walked away. I realized that she refused to listen to me, and that there was nothing I could do.   
I was walking up and down the parapet, when I happened to look down and see my brother Coldstone and his mate together. I could not hear what they were saying, only their movements. Coldfire seemed to be pleading with her mate, trying to comfort him, putting her arms around him, only to be rebuffed. She tried again and again, until finally Coldstone leapt off the parapet and took off into the night. Coldfire hung her head in frustration and sadness, and then took off in the opposite direction.  
"It seems there is animosity everywhere" I told myself. I looked around me. Other gargoyle couples were feeling the effects of breeding season, expressing their love through touch and words. Many had, in fact, set up places in the abandoned areas of the castle as well as camping grounds in the woods for where their mating would take place. Females gathered together to share their feelings of excitement about their first mating, and others reassured them by sharing their own experiences. There was most definitely love in the atomosphere. I only wished that I could have felt that love with my angel of the night.   
The next night I flew off as soon as I had completed patrol with other members of the clan, looking for a place to indulge in reverie. At last I found myself flying over an old cottage, one that had once been inhabited by humans but had been abandoned many years ago after the last died. It had been a playhouse for myself and my sister Coldfire when we were little. I landed and entered the cottage. I was surprised to find a fire already going inside. I knew someone was there. From the back wall of the cottage I heard a noise.   
"Who's there?", I said, ready to spring. Out from the shadows came my sister, Coldfire, holding a cloth.   
"Goliath?", she said. "I did not expect to find you here".  
"Nor I you", I said, coming closer. "What brings you here?"  
"I just needed...a place to think. So I made a fire to warm the cottage. I was just looking for something soft to spread on the ground."  
"I see", I said. "Well, I will leave you to your thoughts."  
"No, don't go", she said, clasping my shoulder. "I'd someone to talk to. Won't you stay?"  
"Very well". My sister spread the blanket on the ground next to the fire and we both sat down on it.  
"How is our brother?", I asked. She looked down sadly.  
"Not too good. The injuries have healed, but the healer told him there's still damage. Goliath, there's a chance we won't be able to-to have an egg".  
"I am sorry", I told her. "There is no shame in that."  
"Well, he thinks there is. He has grown angry, bitter. He has told me that I would be better off finding another mate, one who could give me an egg. I told him that I do not want another. He will not listen. He has closed his heart to me." She put her face in her hands.   
Gently I took her in my arms, rested her head against my chest, soothing her. Her body shook with light sobs. Abruptly she broke away. It had gotten a little too close for comfort.  
"Thank you", she said. "But why are you here? You should be with your mate."  
"We too...are not getting along", I told her. "She is angry with me because I sent our brothers after those captured villagers. She believes that they were not worth their lives."  
"But it is the gargoyle way to protect", Coldfire told me.  
"Yes I know, that is what I tried to tell her. I know that humans have been cruel to us, but we cannot wage war against them; we must learn to live with them, and someday, we will win their respect."  
She nodded soberly. "It seems...that both of us are lonely." She looked up at me with her dark eyes, full of compassion and need and longing. There was so much that she could give. My brother is a fool, I thought to myself.  
"Sister", I began. "May I ask you something?"  
"Yes of course".  
"Why did we not become mates? Why did you choose my brother instead?"  
Coldfire turned and looked into the flames before us. I looked at her, her features illuminated by the fire and thought she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen at that moment.   
"I always believed...that I would not be a worthy mate."  
"Not worthy? Why?", I said.  
"Well, you were the first to learn everything in our generation-fly, climb, use a sword-you were a born warrior Goliath. And...our sister, your mate, she was always just behind you, competing with you, pushing you to be your best". She laughed slightly. "I was always more interested in gathering flowers by the countryside and looking at the stars than being a warrior. And when I heard the elders saying that you two would make fine mates one day, I felt it was best that I step away, because I knew-", she said, touching my face softly, "that you were destined for greatness. I would never want to get in the way of that."  
I took the hand that touched my face and held it in mine. "You could never get in the way. You were the one I told all my secrets to, you were the one who knew my heart, inside and out." I brought her hand up to my lips and kissed it. "And now, the way things have been for both of us, I wish-", abruptly I broke off and turned away. I knew where we would be heading, and I knew that it was wrong.  
She put her hands on my shoulders and turned me around. "What do you wish, Goliath? That you and I had...become mates?"  
I looked into her eyes. There was so much passion there, so much fire. I knew that it was because it was mating season and she was in heat, but I also wanted to believe that it was more than that. I gathered her in my arms and I held her, inhaling her sweet scent, the scent a female gargoyle emits to let a male know she is ready to be mated. Her eyelids were heavy and she was breathing deeply. Her skin was so warm.   
"Goliath...", she said in a low breathy voice. After that, I lost all control. We both did. We mated in the cottage for hours, until we broke away and realized dawn would be in a few more hours. Calmly we put our garments back on and doused the fire. We could not look at each other.   
It had been a mistake. I knew it had been, even as we were going through the motions of making love, but we could not stop ourselves, our blood being on fire. I loved Coldfire, loved her very much, but it was then that I realized my love was that of a brother to a sister, not a romantic one. I knew she felt the same way. She had regretted what we had done.  
We were prepared to go. We had decided that I would return to the castle first, then she would follow after an hour, so as not to arouse suspicion. I was about to leave when she touched my shoulder. I turned around.   
"We...will never speak of this. This will be between you and I only, will it not?", she asked.  
"You and I only, I promise. Goodbye."  
"Goodbye."  
With that, I took off and flew away. On the way I went to a nearby lake and bathed in it, to wash Coldfire's scent off of my skin. I arrived at the castle a short time later. Demona was already there, waiting for me. To my surprise, she wrapped her arms around me when I landed.  
"Oh my love, I missed you so! Where have you been?", she said, after we embraced.  
"I...needed to have some time to think", I told her. "And I am sorry that we quarrelled. I love you very much."  
"Oh Goliath, I am sorry as well. I...admit I overreacted. I was just so overtaken with grief by our brother's death..."  
"Ssshhh", I said, putting a finger to her lips. "It is forgiven. Let us talk about it no more."  
Just then, Coldstone appeared. "Excuse me, brother, sister, but have you seen my mate? I was harsh to her earlier, and I wished to apologize, but I cannot seem to find her anywhere."  
"I haven't seen her since we awoke. Have you, my love?", Demona asked me.  
"No, I ...can't say that I have. I am sorry brother," I told him.  
Coldstone gave a wary look, but said nothing. "Very well. I just hope she returns before sunrise." He left after that.  
"Have I told you that I've missed you?", Demona asked me, putting her arms around me.  
"I believe you did", I said, taking her into my embrace.  
"Well, then, my love, may I be permitted to show you, just how much?", she said coyly. She was already leading me to a dark, secluded corner of the castle. I could smell her arousal.   
"Of course, my angel", I said. I was grateful the darkness masked the guilt on my face.  
Coldfire came back that night, although I missed her arrival. The next night I saw her and her mate embracing, and I knew that they had forgiven one another as well. For the most part, we stayed away from each other after that. We encountered one another now and then, but it was always brief and only a few friendly words were exchanged. A few months passed and it was clear that all the females were with egg.  
One night I found Demona and Coldstone talking to one another. I came up to them and put my arm around Demona. "How do you feel tonight, my love?", i asked.  
"Oh...tired. I feel so weighed down!", she replied.  
"Yes, my mate feels the same way", Coldstone said. Just then Coldfire approached, and I could tell by her belly that she too would lay an egg. She gave me a quick look, and then greeted us all.  
"It is a miracle that we were able to concieve, especially after my injury. But of course, all things are possible", Coldstone said, nuzzling his mate's hair. She looked away.  
"I am very happy for you, brother", I said, extending my hand.  
"Thank you Goliath", he said, taking it.   
Neither Demona or Coldstone suspected a thing. Coldfire and I both knew we would take the secret of our infidelity to our graves."   
  
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Elisa shook her head slightly. "Um...Goliath, I um...don't know exactly what to say. That's quite a secret", she stood up and walked toward the couch.  
"But one that I shared with you, and only you! Please, my love", Goliath pleaded, reaching for Elisa. "I regret with all my heart what I did. I wish I could change it."  
"But you can't", Elisa said, holding herself stiffly. "Goliath, you know I am no fan of Demona's, but you broke your vows to her, and you made Coldfire break her vows to her mate. And on top of that, you had a child with her! It's just...", Elisa's voice trailed off.  
"Elisa, please. I have lived with this guilt ever since that night. You must know that it would never happen again."  
"I think it's best if you go", Elisa said. "I need time to think." She began to walk towards her bedroom.  
"Elisa...", Goliath began, starting to follow her. She turned around and faced him, holding up a hand to stop him.  
"You're not the person I thought you were. Please, just go."  
Goliath knew in that heartbreaking moment that he had lost her respect. He hung his head and went to the window, and with a gentle swoop he took off into the night. Elisa watched him leave from her bedroom window and sank onto her bed, weeping softly.  
  
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To be continued....   
  
So, like it? Hate it? Please let me know!!!  
(Be gentle: it's my first fanfic..)  
M.R. Stack  
  
  
  



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